Small now a three-time MVC athlete of the year

Iowa City High senior Eve Small was named the girls' tennis athlete of the year by the Mississippi Valley Conference for the third straight year on Thursday.

Small - a two-time state singles runner-up - is undefeated in both singles and doubles this season for the undefeated Mississippi Division champion Little Hawks (16-0).

Megan Jans of Iowa City West won athlete of the year honors in the Valley Division.

Small's doubles partner Innes Hicsasmaz garnered a first-team all-conference nod in the Mississippi Division, as did sophomore Vale Caro of Cedar Rapids Prairie, Xavier's Allison Jasper and Washington teammates Lilly Hartman and Hannah Sherman. It was the third time Hicsasmaz and Hartman were named to the MVC first team.

Valley Division honorees on the first team include West teammates Brittani Langland and Hannah Smigel, Linn-Mar's Nicole Glanz, Becky Hughes of Cedar Falls and Dubuque Senior's Ellena Wolff.

City High's Fred Pedersen and Amie Villarini of Iowa City West were each named coach of the year.

JUNG, HOYT LEAD MVC BOYS

Iowa City West sophomore Jiung Jung was named MVC Valley Athlete of the Year, while Jackson Hoyt of Cedar Rapids Washington earned the nod in the Mississippi Division.

Other first-team members in the Valley Division are Kennedy freshman Rami Hemaidan, Vineel Mallavarapu of Cedar Falls, Dubuque Senior's Gus Zuccaro, David DiLeo of Iowa City West, and three-time honoree Tim Paulson of top-ranked Linn-Mar.

The Mississippi Division first team is led by Ben Curley of Cedar Rapids Xavier, Waterloo West's Seth Christensen, Joe Hoff and Max Gruber of City High, and Washington's Oliver Hammond.

Linn-Mar's Chris Wundram and Rusty Graff of Washington won coach of the year.

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com